Johnny Keenan

Johnny Keenan is a highly regarded Irish tenor banjo player. The annual Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival set up in his honor is testament to this. Johnny was a multi-instrumentalist who also turned his hand to fiddle, low whistle, and guitar. He is best know for his thimble style playing of the banjo.
In the early years, Johnny often went busking, along with his father and friends Ted Furey and Paul Furey. He spent time touring with The Furey Brothers during the 1960's, calling themselves The Fureys & Johnny Keenan, before forming The Pavees group with his father and brother Paddy. Their weekly appearance at Slattery's of Capel Street became known as The Pavees Club, and guest performers often included Christy Moore, The Black Family, Frank & Patrick Cassidy, The Glackins. Other members of the pavees included Johnny's other brothers Thomas and Brendan, as well as George & Paul Furey, Sean Garvey, Mick Moriarty, and Liam Weldon.
After the Pavees, Johnny formed Tipsy Sailor with Kieran Halpin, Sean Howley, & Mick Fitzgerald. Tipsy Sailor toured throughout Ireland playing the festival circuit during the 1980's. They were regular performers at The Meeting Place, on Dorset Street, Dublin which was one of the most prestigious folk venues of the time.
Although Johnny never got around to recording a full-length solo release, he featured prominently on a number of recordings. In 1975 he played on his brother Paddy's first solo release on Gael Linn, alongside his brother Thomas and Paddy Glackin. One of the best displays of Johnny's talents occurred on an album Johnny made with the Cassidy's (Frank & Patrick). Recorded in Wales during the mid 1980's, the album featured Johnny on banjo, fiddle, and low whistle.
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Johnny's brother Paddy Keenan is probably the most well known of the Keenan Family, through his fame from playing as part of The Bothy Band. But Johnny's other brothers Brendan and Thomas are also known around Dublin for their traditional music playing. Both his father and nephew share the name Johnny Keenan. His father is best know as a uilleann pipe player and craftsman, and his nephew is the youngest and next generation of Keenan family's music. Young Johnny Keenan plays in a band called The Feekers with vocalist and bouzouki player, Darren Lynch. The Feekers album, Tarbolten, was released in 2012 with Claddagh Records and features a lot of the music learned from Johnny.
Johnny Keenan died in March 2000 after a battle with lung cancer and is buried in Co. Longford, Ireland

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